H2GO from Angel Wax. Awesome. Beads at 25mph.

I'll look at the socks. £100 for something I'm unlikely to use is a bitter pill to swallow.

I would suggest sleeping bag and snacks that can be eaten in the car should you get snowed in. A thermos flask which you can fill when you are going out, so you also have something warm to drink.

Have a sleeping bag and liner, snacks is a good call.

Stupid socks can be gotten away with in France now, but still not approved anywhere else. But my car won't fit chains according to the computer, as I'm running 17s on sports suspension with one of the lowest factory setups ever and very little arch gap. So it looks like I'll be chancing it.

If you are going somewhere where the risks of getting snowed in are high a camping stove and or kelly kettle would be very handy. Plus matches.

Will have to look into that. I got sucked into the gtechniq rush and found the G3 to be crap at best.

This will keep you warm but still give you mobility should you need it. Especially if you have to sleep in the car.



http://www.sleepingbagsuits.co.uk/musucbag-classic.html

I don't buy locked phones either.

Not the yellow, the little black bits that block the beam from blinding oncoming vehicles on the right. I know most modern cars have straight-ahead lights these days, so they aren't as necessary as they used to be (needed them on my old (1987) BMW M5, didn't need them on my 2000 Laguna).

Ice is always a problem. In Bavaria, I'd scrape away 20cm of snow from the car, then have to scrape the ice away. The worst is where the snow starts to melt and refreezes, then you get big crystals, I ended up with a couple of deep gouges in the paint on the bonnet of my Mondeo.

Winter tyres cope well in snow, but you will still need chains. ESPECIALLY if there are road signs that say you need them, if you drive past that point and get stuck, you have to pay a fine. If you have an accident in a chain area and are driving without chains, your insurance is generally null and void! (At least on European insurance, in Germany, an insurance company doesn't have to pay out if you are driving on frozen or snowy roads without winter tyres* or without chains, where chains are mandatory.)

* Or all year tyres


Still cheaper than having to fork out several thousand Euros for not having them...

Thanks. Think is, if I'm parked underground and not driving that often, I don't anticipate it being a huge issue. But I'll get a scraper and some srpay. The car has been polished and long-life sealed to prevent damage to the paint and keep the shine. So I'd rather not go spraying anything at it or attacking it with big heavy tools.



If I can't find chains that actual fit without damaging my arches, what then? Get socks and hope I don't get stuck? There's only one road I know of that could be a problem and that's the final approach in and out of the village which twists its way up the mountain - Italian Job style for the last 10 minutes of the 18hr journey there. That has chain signs on it, but I've never seen anyone use them, because it was always clear of snow unless it was actually snowing. As it's only Austria which technically "require" chains to be carried - I'm not sure what to do. I'm already in £3000 of debt just to get down there....

Maybe fly next time? (helpful)

Thanks Caz!

It's not the drive, but all the gear I need. Clothing, camera, car stuff etc. It's still cheaper for me to drive, than it is to fly. It costs me around £60 just to get to London from here, by which point I can fuel my car at least 50 miles into France.

ION, spoken with Skoda and Pewag chains and there isn't a chain set sold or recommended for my car in my wheel size. Apparently there are clearance issues (which is fairly obvious when you think about it). So it's Socks or nothing. Do we think I can just explain to the Italian police that chains are unavailable for my vehicle, but I have socks??

If your car is as lowered as I imagine, you may want to reinforce your valance.

It's boggo, honest!

It's just that the Mk1 vRS is known for being one of the lowest standard practical family hatchbacks ever. The Mk2 is significantly higher as a result!
It also has massive breaks and I think half the clearance issue could be inside the arch, behind the wheel...